unfurl

American  

[uhn-furl] / ʌnˈfɜrl /

verb (used with object)

1. to spread or shake out from a furled state, as a sail or a flag; unfold.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become unfurled.

unfurl British  

/ ʌnˈfɜːl /

verb

1. to unroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state

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Other Word Forms

• unfurlable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of unfurl

First recorded in 1635–45; un- ² + furl

Explanation

When you unfurl something, you unroll it or spread it out. Your yoga teacher will unfurl her long purple mat at the beginning of class. To unfurl something is to roll it out, unwinding it the way you do with a coiled laptop charger cord. You might also unfurl a pair of socks curled around each other or the American flag you keep rolled up in a closet until the Fourth of July. Unfurl is a more common word than its opposite, furl, which means "roll or fold." The French origin is ferler, "to furl," from the Old French roots fer, "firm" and lier, "bind."

Example Sentences

Unfurl the bunting, and don’t ask too many questions!

From The Guardian • Feb. 15, 2020

Unfurl a map and, despite the rather large clue in the country's name, many people wouldn't be able to point to the Central African Republic.

From The Guardian • Mar. 25, 2011

Unfurl the sail of spirit on the ship of guidance and hoist the banner of piety in those regions, so that the everlasting light may shine forth upon all parts.

From Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas by `Abdu'l-Bahá

Unfurl its folds again, Let it wave proudly o'er the plain; The dying shall forget their pain,   Count not their loss.

From War Poetry of the South by Various

Unfurl the banner, let it court the breeze Once more, on Ragnor's Towers.

From Rowena & Harold A Romance in Rhyme of an Olden Time, of Hastyngs and Normanhurst by Pryer, William Stephen

Related Words

• unfold
• unroll
• unwind